FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARJan Briney kisses her grandson Wyatt Briney, 5, amid the tornado debris on Dec. 4 in Washington. Wyatt’s family home was destroyed in the EF-4 tornado.

RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STARLeo Allen, 4, of Peoria is excited to get a new toy for Christmas during the Salvation Army’s Share the Spirit Party on Dec. 10 at the Peoria Civic Center. About 1,000 kids got to visit with Santa, have pizza, and enjoy a new toy during the event.

RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STARNoah Thoms of Maroa, portraying a member of the 9th Infantry is covered with snow after falling in battle during a re-enactment of the Battle of the Bulge on Dec. 14 at W.H. Sommer Park in Edwards.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARCheese Chisholm of the Harlem Globetrotters tells Central Intermediate School students to have tunnel vision for their life goals as he brings a message of fun and anti-bullying on Dec. 13 to tornado-damaged Washington. The school was closed for a few days after the Nov. 17 tornado due to roof damage.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STAROnce a year, the bison herd at Wildlife Prairie Park get vaccinations, vitamin supplement and a de-worming topical treatment. On Dec. 12, Molly Baldes, a senior animal science major University of Illinois, from Pekin, right, injects a vaccine through the thick fur coat of a bison as students from the University of Illinois Rural Animal Health and Medicine Service, along with staff and outside experts take the day to work each animal into a chute system that minimizes human contact and stress on the animal.

JUSTIN WAN/JOURNAL STAREvelyn Avila, 4, of Peoria dances with roses on Dec. 12 at Saint Mary’s Cathedral during the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Thousands gathered at the Catholic church in downtown Peoria to celebrate the Patron Saint of Mexico.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARAmy Bjornstad, center, and other supporters of Charter Oak School Principal John Wetterauer protest outside of the District 150 school board meeting on Dec. 16 after he was placed on administrative leave by the district because of internal concerns over a pattern of inconsistencies between scores and the school’s academic achievement for special ed students. The meeting was moved to Von Steuben Middle School in expectation of the large crowd.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARVolunteer George “Rock” Hargrow gives Mattie Carrigan a kiss on the forehead as he carries a box of food for the holidays on Dec. 23 during distribution at Carver Community Center as part of the Journal Star Christmas Fund. Mattie, who went to school with George, said he has been very kind to her family over the years.

RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STARBradley’s Walt Lemon Jr., right, tries to pull the ball away from Justus Stanback of IUPUI as he calls a timeout after grabbing the ball during a game on Dec. 4 at Renaissance Coliseum.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARChicago Bears defensive tackle Landon Cohen laughs as he jokes with Washington High School students on Dec. 4 as members of the Chicago Bears came to show their support after the Nov. 17 tornado. About a dozen Bears players helped workers clear debris from tornado damaged homes along Dorchester Court in Washington.

DAVID ZALAZNIK/JOURNAL STARAbel Weast waits patiently for his opportunity to shop with other children from Crittenton Center Child Development Center on Dec. 4 at the Stocking Stuffer store at Northwoods Mall. Each child is given $25 to shop for loved ones on their list through donations from First Federated Church in Peoria.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARThe meaning of the season is clearly visible in a Nativity scene as the infant Jesus, his mother Mary, and Joseph glow under the twilight sky at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Parish, 504 Fulton Street in downtown Peoria. This year, Father Lawrence Zurek, Order of Friars Minor, brought the display to Sacred Heart and added special lighting to draw attention to the message.

DAVID ZALAZNIK/JOURNAL STARVolunteer Jim Gleason pulls photographs to save from a pile of rubble as Michelle Holdham works at the crest of the pile on Dec. 19 in Washington.

RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STARMethodist EMTs Mallory Mark, right, and Anthony Hoopingarner share a high-five during their Christmas Day shift at work.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STAROn Nov. 17, Brevin Hunter, 6, in blue, ushered his mom Lisa (not pictured) and brother Brody, 11, in white, into the basement of their Washington rental home. As their dad, Jesse, tried to get home, the tornado hit, leveling the house. Jesse was spun around in his truck multiple times by the tornado. The family lost everything they own and did not have rental insurance. Their other son, Brayden, 15, in red, was at his grandparents.

MATT DAYHOFF/JOURNAL STARA deflected puck hangs over Bloomington Thunder goalie B.J. O’Brien’s head as Rivermen wingers Steve Morra (19) and Justin Gvora move in during a game on Dec. 20 at the Peoria Civic Center.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARDunlap native Josh Adams crafts dishes at his restaurant, June, located in Peoria Heights. The restaurant features modern American-themed cooking using organic items from farms in the area.

RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STARLimestone’s Terence Shelby grabs a rebound and goes to the basket as Bryce Hilst of Pekin, bottom right, falls during a game on Dec. 27 at the Pekin Holiday Tournament.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARWhen the tornado ripped through Washington, Pat Conner, right, was in her bedroom, bent over letting her dog out of his dog crate. Pat was picked up by the tornado and spun around five times, landing outside the house. Weeks after the storm on Dec. 2, Pat embraces her neighbor Rachel Wilkins, seeing her for the first time after the disaster. Pat said, “The only thing I remember thinking is ‘You’re going to die.” Pat survived with injuries, but her home was destroyed.

JUSTIN WAN/JOURNAL STARNotre Dame players huddle before the game on Dec. 14 at Notre Dame High School.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARPeering from inside the family van, Lyla Wilkins, 5, sits in her car seat as her mom talks outside with other tornado survivors in Washington. Lyla’s mom, Rachel, said that on the day of the tornado, Lyla kept telling the family all morning long that there was a tornado coming. As it turns out, the EF-4 tornado tore down their street, destroying several homes on the block. Rachel said that they were fortunate and escaped major damage as they hid in their basement.

JUSTIN WAN/JOURNAL STARPeoria resident Tashawn Buford, 15, yawns as he attends a Dec. 6 game between Limestone and Pekin.

JUSTIN WAN/JOURNAL STARPeoria resident Quenton Thomas Chambers, 10, tries to catch a ball without success as he and other boys play ball while waiting for school bus at the end of the after-school program on Dec. 19 at Von Steuben Middle School.

FRED ZWICKY/JOURNAL STARCasey Danley of Washington may have set the school’s single-season rushing mark, but he says the more important task was to support the community after an EF-4 tornado destroyed 1,000 homes the week before their state semifinal game. The football team spent two days helping residents dig out before they could get back to the business of preparing a game that rallied the community. Casey’s home was largely untouched, but ten of his teammates weren’t so fortunate.

RON JOHNSON/JOURNAL STARFishermen cast their lines as steam rises from Powerton Lake, north of Pekin, on a cold Dec. 29 with temperatures dipping into the single digits.

Matt Dayhoff started as a photographer for the Journal Star in 1992 shortly after graduating from the Ohio University School of Visual Communications. In 2009, he moved into the newsroom as an online editor and producer and is now responsible for helping manage and edit much of the editorial content on pjstar.com.